ROCKFORD - If you're going to play defending champion and current Western Conference-leading Grand Rapids, now makes sense.

The Griffins came in with their first back-to-back regulation losses, and that might be attributed in part to having had six players recently recalled by the Detroit Red Wings.

The Rockford IceHogs entered Friday night's game with their own troubles, though, and those were prolonged and magnified in a 4-2 loss before a BMO Harris Bank Center crowd of 4,105.

"We played well enough to win this game," said 'Hogs defenseman Jared Nightingale. "Unfortunately, we had a bad break at the end."

The Griffins took advantage of a late penalty to notch the only power-play score of the evening. The 'Hogs are winless in their last five (0-4-0-1) and dropped to 15-15-3-0. Their struggles largely have been offensive related, as they have totaled eight goals in those five outings.

The frustration was evident when only two out of 42 shots on net eluded goalie Tom McCollum.

"Our power play is God awful right now," said Rockford head coach Ted Dent, whose team went 0-for-6 Friday. "Our (last-ranked) penalty kill is God awful and we can't keep the puck out of our net."

The 'Hogs overcame a 2-1 deficit after two periods to tie it on Brandon Pirri's second score of the season at 5:27. But Grand Rapids got the game-winner on a power play by Calle Jarnkrok at 15:58. Cory Emmerton added an empty-netter at 19:27.

"They're in our division, and we keep giving them two points and that can't happen," said Pirri, who generated eight shots on goal. "We have to play better and put together a full 60 (minutes)."

After a scoreless first, Emmerton beat goalie Mac Carruth in close at 1:06 of the second. Nightengale's first tally of the season at 12:47 tied it temporarily, assists going to Joakim Nordstrom and Brandon Mashinter. Mitch Callahan's goal from the top of the right circle after a turnover at 16:20 made it 2-1.

You don't want to trail the Griffins (22-7-1-1) going to the third - they're 17-0-0-1 leading after 40 minutes. They are 5-0-0-1 against Rockford this season.

Notes: This is the only weekend all season during which Rockford does not play on either Saturday or Sunday. It is home to Charlotte at 7 p.m. Monday. . Rockford is 9-5-0-0 at home this season, and 11-4-0-1 against Grand Rapids at home over the past five seasons. . Friday's game opened the first of two season-long, four-game homestands this season.